The Good Castle Guide has been redesigned yet again, in the desperate hope of finally achieving the "Perfect User Experience".

A drop-down menu gives access to most of the pages on the site via submenus which appear in the left-hand window.

"CHOOSE COUNTRY": Choose England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales.

"INDEXES": List castles by County, Era, Style or Special.

[Special includes lists of castles under the care of English Heritage, etc., and Aerial Views.]

"PHOTO GALLERIES": Visit one of the Photo Galleries.

"ARTICLES ETC.": Read various manic jottings by yours truly.

"USEFUL STUFF": Various items designed to be helpful, including this page.

OK, so let's assume that you've chosen England, used the STYLE index, selected "Courtyard" and got a list of sites. One of these is "Castle Scrunge". You choose it and get a page that looks a bit like this:

What does it all mean?

The Data Pages

For each castle (or "fortified site") there are a number of bits of information:

The name of the castle - e.g. "Castle Scrunge".

With the name there may be one or more symbols indicating the historical periods for the site:

Prehistoric

Iron Age

Roman

Anglo-Saxon, Irish, Scots or Welsh

11/12th Century [Norman]

13/15th Century [Medieval]

16th Century [Tudor]

17th Century [Stuart]

18th Century [Georgian]

19th Century [Victorian]

20th Century [Modern]

Unclassified

I then give the address of the site with an Ordnance Survey Grid Reference if known.

The button labelled "Google Map" DOES NOT CURRENTLY FUNCTION!

If I have any photos for the site one should be visible. If there is only one photo, then clicking on the "Full-size Photo" button below it will show you a full-size version in a new, full-screen window. If there is more than one photo, then click on the "More Photos" button to see the page of thumbnail images for the site. Clicking on any thumbnail will display a full-size version of the photo. These pages are also available from the "Photo Galleries" section.

If there is an aerial view of the castle, use the "Aerial View" button. This will also display in a new, full-screen window.

There is then a brief description of the site, followed by some indication of whether or not the site is accessible to public viewing. Any opening times must be regarded as a guide only. If in doubt, phone first. I have removed details of entrance charges, simply using a symbol instead:

= "Entrance fee applies"

= "Free entry"

Other symbols are:

Parking - may or may not be free!

Disabled access

Toilets

Shop

Refreshments